Melbourne, Jan 8 : McDonald’s will now be using a new DNA spray to trace thieves and robbers who target the franchise’s restaurants.

The spray, called SelectaDNA, which remains on the suspect’s skin for two weeks and on clothes for up to six months, has been introduced in some of the chain’s busiest stores in New South Wales in Australia.

If the ‘forensic marking’ spray proves successful in apprehending criminals, McDonald’s will introduce the system across all its 780 Australian outlets.

Melbourne, Oct 3 : Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne has confirmed that he got down on one knee to propose to girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley.

Warne took to Twitter to thank well-wishers amid reports suggesting he had asked the model-turned-actress to marry him at the exclusive Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, in front of a VIP crowd of diners.

He disputed earlier reports suggesting he proposed before a crowd.

Melbourne, Sept 26 : Pop star Britney Spears has landed in hot water for promoting gun violence in her latest video clip for song `Criminal'.

The latest video was partly filmed in East London and during the Bonnie and Clyde-themed shoot, Spears was photographed running out of a convenience store in Hackney waving a fake pistol.

Local politicians have now criticised the singer for glamourising gun violence and demanded an apology.

Melbourne, Sept 24 : Australian scientists have discovered what they believe is a gene that switches on when people consume high amounts of high-fat food.

Blocking this gene could reduce diabetes' damaging effects on the body, their report said.

In people who follow a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise, the gene usually lays dormant allowing the pancreas to function normally and produce enough insulin.

Melbourne, Sept 21 : Hollywood hunk Ashton Kutcher’s first episode of the ninth season of ‘Two and a Half Men’ has broken television ratings records.

The premiere with Kutcher was successful in pulling a massive 28 million viewers in the US and a record 2.29 million people for Channel 9 last night, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Melbourne, Sept 21 : Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she won’t be watching the ABC’s political satire ‘At Home With Julia’, which shows her draped in an Australian flag after having sex on her office floor.

Ms Gillard said she watched the first episode of the program, though not on the night it was broadcast.

“I’m not intending to watch tonight’s episode. I’ve got more to do,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ms Gillard as telling ABC Radio today.

Melbourne, Sept 19 : A new survey has revealed that most Australians dream of working for Google than any other organization.

It is the second consecutive year the search engine giant, famous for its comfy offices, has topped the dream employer list.

Self-employment came second, followed by the Virgin Group, Qantas, Apple and Microsoft.

The Insync Surveys and RedBalloon 2011 Dream Employers Survey found that pay, benefits and conditions are the main reason workers become attracted to a company.

Melbourne, Sep 15: Dumped Australian opening batsman Simon Katich doubts that changes to the Cricket Australia (CA) selection panel following the recommendations made by the `Argus Review' will alter his situation.

Katich was dropped from the list of CA's contracted players earlier this year despite being one of the team's most consistent performers.

"Who is in charge is I don't think not going to make too much difference to my situation," Fox Sports quoted Katich, as saying.

Melbourne, Sep. 10: Veteran Australian leg spinner Shane Warne will be allowed to pick and choose which matches he will play in this year's Big Bash Twenty20 tournament, if he plays at all, says his manager.

The champion leg-spinner's appearance in the Big Bash tournament is clashing with his commentary duties on Channel Nine, for whom he will call the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, and ''''masses of business commitments'''', his manager, James Erskine, said.

Melbourne, Sep. 8 : Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne is meeting with his management to discuss offers to play in this summer''s Big Bash League in Australia.

Warne is hot property and both Melbourne Twenty20 teams, the Stars and the Renegades, are eagerly chasing the former Test world record-holder''s signature, the Courier Mail reports.

Stars chairman Eddie McGuire and Renegades chairman James Brayshaw, both major media and AFL figures in Melbourne, will lend extra clout to negotiations with Victorian Warne and his management.

Melbourne, Sept 5 : Swiss researchers say they have made a "small step" towards getting robots to run like humans.

"The hot question is how we make robots that can run as effectively as humans do," ABC Science quoted Queensland University of Technology professor of robotics, Dr Gordon Wyeth, of the research, as saying.

"This is a small step on the way."

Melbourne, Sept 5 : An Indian employed at a kebab shop in Melbourne was reportedly paid on average just 3.30 dollars an hour and owes over 50,000 dollars in unpaid wages.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), an agency that investigates workplace complaints, claimed the Indian worker was not paid any wages for three months and was then paid a flat rate of only 290 dollars a week.

He usually worked about 70 hours a week over six to seven days preparing food and cleaning, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Melbourne, Sept 1 : Shane Warne has rubbished rumours that he underwent surgery to achieve the stylish looks, claiming that it is the `glow of love' that shows on his face.

The spin legend, who declared his love for British actress Elizabeth Hurley on talkback radio in Melbourne, revealed that it is the feeling of being in love that gives him the radiance.

"I suppose being in love with someone is a wonderful feeling, and I am at the moment," the Age quoted him as saying.

Melbourne, Aug 31: Australia-based mining company Macarthur Coal has backed a revised takeover offer from ArcelorMittal and Peabody Energy Corporation.

ArcelorMittal and Peabody have raised their offer by three percent to 16 Australian dollars per share, valuing the deal at 4.8 billion Australian dollars.

Macarthur has been a takeover target in the wake of growing demand for coal, and the company has fended off four takeover bids in the last years.

Melbourne, Aug 26 : Katie Price is all set to launch her own magazine, named `Katie'.

The 33-year-old English socialite has modelled her eponymous magazine on the success of Oprah Winfrey's O magazine.

The first issue of the magazine will feature no less than five images of the mother-of-three on the cover, promising a sneak peek inside her wardrobe, a "Jordan makeover" of her friends, her favourite beauty products and a tell-all interview about her love life.

Melbourne, Aug 25 : Barbadian singer Rihanna has reportedly made a sex tape with rapper J-Cole during her recent `Loud' world tour.

The claim was made by Hustler magazine, which said that it has a sex tape featuring Rihanna and J-Cole, who opened for her tour and featured her in his `Can't Get Enough' video.

According to Radar Online, a rep for the adult company said the magazine has seen the tape but is not confirming if it will release it or not.

Melbourne, Aug 22: Former Australian captain Ian Chappell reckons the fact that Cricket Australia (CA) needed the `Argus Review' to point out problems in the country's cricket highlights what's wrong within the board.

"It's got to give you a bit of a clue when you have to hold a review to see what's wrong with the body that's supposed to be running cricket," Chappell told the BBC.

Melbourne, Aug 22: Former Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden reckons that England's rise to the summit of Test cricket is down to consistency.

"In my career there was a lot of inconsistency in the England team, both in performances and also selection," Sky Sports quoted Hayden, as saying.

"There were so many players coming in and out of the side it was really a turnstile into the English dressing room, but now it's very different," he added.

Melbourne, Aug 20 : Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh is interested in taking over as chairman of the National Selection Panel (NSP) of Cricket Australia (CA).

The Age reported that Marsh is a potential replacement for departing chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch, but CA will conduct a thorough global search for a head coach to share the selection duties.

Perth researchers have discovered that smoking in open regions puts non-smokers at risk of having respiratory troubles.

Curtin University Professor of Health Policy Mike Daube stated that even in alfresco areas, well-ventilated regions, second-hand smoke showed a risk of health.

The investigations showed that when there was no one smoking, tobacco smoke particle concentrations were about four micrograms per cubic metre of air, however, augmented to 14.25 when at least one person started smoking.